According to the drug pricing regulator, creating a database is necessary for monitoring production and availability of scheduled formulations and the active pharmaceutical ingredients in the scheduled formulations, and monitoring the prices of non-scheduled formulations

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has asked all pharmaceutical companies to register themselves under its integrated pharmaceutical database management system (IPDMS) for online filing of returns for monitoring, fixing and revision of drug prices.

In a notice on its portal, the drug pricing regulator said, “Availability of reliable database is a necessary pre-requisite for carrying out the functions of price fixation and price revision in respect of scheduled drugs; price fixation in respect of new drugs.”

It further said such a step was also necessary for monitoring production and availability of scheduled formulations and the active pharmaceutical ingredients contained in the scheduled formulations, and monitoring the prices of non-scheduled formulations.

The registration process will be kept open till 30 October 2014 after which that data inputting facility shall be made available to all registered users for submission of online reports in respect of form II, III and V under drug price control order (DPCO) 2013.

Online filing of returns has to be done under the DPCO 2013, it added.

This is being done as “the objective of the DPCO 2013 is that the government should in due course come out with an appropriate mechanism of obtaining market-based data related to drugs,” NPPA said.

With the transition from DPCO 1995, which followed cost-based mechanism for price fixation, to the DPCO 2013, which follows market-based mechanism for price fixation, reference data and source of market based data has assumed critical importance, it added.

The IPDMS is being launched with immediate effect for the purpose of registration, NPPA said.

The reporting obligation on the manufacturers is a legal obligation, which they are required to carry out with full and correct disclosure of information in a timely manner at prescribed intervals, the regulator said.

“Any default in the reporting would be deemed to be an act of contravention of the DPCO 2013 and therefore attracts penalties under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955,” it added.

NPPA was established to fix or revise prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995.

The organisation is also entrusted with the task of recovering amounts overcharged by manufacturers for the controlled drugs from the consumers and also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.

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The winning total needed was 18.52 lakh and nationally, the margin of victory is about 55% to 45%

In a historic referendum, Scotland on Friday rejected independence and decided to remain in a 307-year-old union with the United Kingdom, in a relief to Prime Minister David Cameron.

With 30 out of Scotland's 32 council areas having declared results, the "No" side has an unbeatable lead of 18.77 lakh votes to 15.13 lakh, official results confirmed.

The winning total needed was 18.52 lakh and nationally, the margin of victory is about 55% to 45%. This margin of victory is some three points greater than that anticipated by the final opinion polls.

The vote is the culmination of a two-year campaign and talks will now begin on devolving more powers to Scotland, which in 1707 had joined UK.

Glasgow, Scotland's largest council area and the third largest city in Britain, voted in favour of independence with 194,779 'Yes' votes to 169,347 'No' votes. Dundee, West Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire also voted "Yes".

But Edinburgh, the nation's capital, rejected independence by 194,638 votes to 123,927 votes, while Aberdeen City voted "No" by a margin of more than 20,000 votes.

There have also been big wins for the pro-UK campaign in many other areas.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I've spoken to Alistair Darling (head of the pro-UK Better Together campaign) - and congratulated him on a well-fought campaign."

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond on Friday conceded defeat in the referendum, while saying the large number of 'Yes' votes represented a substantial number for Scottish independence in the future.

The people of Scotland had been queueing up to register their vote in the historic referendum yesterday to decide their future as part an independent country or the UK.

They had a simple "Yes" or "No" choice to the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

Nearly 97% of the electorate, adding up to 42.85 lakh people, were registered to vote at 2,608 polling places across the country.

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DHARMESH SAMPAT

2 years ago

After the scotland incident, should indian govt learn something from it and take a cue on Kashmir?

Maharashtra govt notification states that there is a single toll booth at Vashi for the Sion-Panvel road and yet one fine day there is a new booth at Kamothe collecting money. Will this daylight robbery stop?

In Maharashtra (and possibly elsewhere in the country) toll continues to be collected from hapless commuters on all roads, highways and expressway, disregarding all rules and methods. One of the bizzare examples of the toll loot or daylight robbery is a second booth installed at Kamothe on the Sion-Panvel stretch on Mumbai Pune Expressway. The Vashi toll booth on the Expressway is meant to collect toll for the entire Sion-Panvel stretch and yet, there is another toll booth at Kamothe! This means travellers are forced to pay twice the toll for the same stretch of Expressway.

The notification issued by the Public Works Dept (PWD) of Maharashtra government on 27 September 2002 (see image below) clearly states that "toll shall be levied on classes of motor vehicles...passing through the section of Sion-Panvel Road (Yashwantrao Chavan Marg) including the bridge across Thane creek on this road in Mumbai, Thane and Raigad Districts, which is constructed, reconstructed, improved or repaired and also the flyover bridged constructed on such road and the approach roads thereto at the rates specified at the toll collection centre at Vashi on the said road."

Why is there a second toll booth on this stretch? And Who allowed the installation and toll collection at the second toll booth at Kamothe on the Sion-Panvel Road? This kind of loot cannot be done by the contractor without 'strong' political support at all levels.

Not only this, most of the regular commuters are kept in the dark about monthly pass or multiple entry pass for entering Mumbai from Dahisar, Airoli, Mulund, Thane and Vashi. The monthly pass is almost half compared with per day toll (for two trips) charged by the collectors. For example, all light commercial vehicles, are charged Rs30 per trip (applicable from 1 October 2011 till 30 September 2014). This means a vehicle making a round trip in a day would end up paying Rs60 a day (considering one entry and one exit) or Rs1,800 per month at Vashi toll booth on the Sion Panvel Highway. However, for the same route, the monthly pass costs just Rs1,000 while multiple entry pass costs Rs1,200. This toll will be hiked from 1st October to Rs35 (or Rs2,100 per month considering one entry and one exit @Rs70 per day), while the monthly pass would cost only Rs1,165 and multiple entry pass at Rs1,400.

Unfortunately, this information is not shared openly with regular commuters resulting in more toll collection for the booth operators.

Even the law that was supposed to govern (protect rights of commuters) the 'business' mentions two taxes in the same section.

Section 20 (1D) of Bombay Motor Vechicle Tax Act, 1958 clearly states that "Toll amount can not be collected more than Capital Outlay."

For the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Ideal Road Builders (IRB), whose promoters have strong political connections, is responsible for the safety, maintenance and operation as per the 15-year contract it entered in 2004. As per the statement of IRB, which it has sent to MSRDC, it had collected Rs949.45 crore up to September 2010. This must have gone up substantially consider the higher number of vehicle using the Expressway.

The IRB paid an advance of Rs918 crore at the time of the contract agreement in 2004, to be recovered by it through toll collection by March 2019 when the contract terminates. The amount of recovery would include not only its capital investment and interest on it (the Rs918 crore), but also expenses towards operation and maintenance of the e-way. Funnily, there is no total figure of how much it should recover to ensure that it does not make a loss and that it is assured profits, but IRB has been allowed to keep on collecting toll till the end of its contract, with a hike in the toll charges at a regular interval of three years.

The total absence of transparency in the toll collection system has time and again aroused suspicion and anger among commuters. In fact, people from across the country are still puzzled as to why toll charges on highways or expressways are increased all the time, especially when there is not much information available on the increase in number of vehicles using the road. There is hardly any authentic information on how much toll is collected annually by the private agency at each booth.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corp Ltd (MSRDC) is responsible for monitoring the toll receipts; scrutinising claims of various toll collecting agencies and put for approval by competent authority; taking action against defaulters as per contract conditions; corresponding with regional offices regarding toll collection work and; giving replies under the Right to Information Act.

However, neither, the PWD nor the MSRDC readily share any information. This leads to commuters being robbed in broad daylight under the pretext of toll tax. Will somebody help the hapless commuters and stop the daylight robberies taking place at all toll booths in Maharashtra before people decide to express their 'feeling' through poll booths!

Despite several promises by state politicians to close toll booths, the 'business' continues to not only rob travellers but is also 'automatically' increasing the period for toll collection. Every now and then political parties indulge in violent protests against toll charges, allegedly more for political one-upmanship than sort out the issue that is burdening commuters.

A few days back, Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister, whose party is in the power for past 15 years, asked people to vote for his party and after assuming power (again) he will close the toll collection at Kolhapur. This is 'fooling' citizens openly? Especially, when Mr Pawar is in power for the past 15 years, why he could not close the toll booth in Kolhapur despite a severe agitation from local people? But then, this is election time, and may be Mr Pawar is still under the impression that 'public memory does not last long'.

DHARMESH SAMPAT

2 years ago

Being a resident of thane city, i have been feeling the pinch of toll booth since sat decade. The city of thane is surrounded by toll web. If any1 has to go beyond the city of thane or enter thane,compulsorily pay toll at every corner.

Despite paying toll, the condition of road is pathetic. The irony is that approach road to toll booth is full of potholes. These toll booths cause massive traffic jams at peak hours causing total chaos.

Unfortunately, the political leadership of thane has never took interest in the issue except posturing during elections. They never pay toll but it's citizen like us who have to always end up paying toll (monthly pass for multiple entry points-1200 Rs/month).

Shame on the system of this country ! Feel that i am a citizen of banana republic aka Kela desh !

sunil

2 years ago

GOVT OFFICIALS,POLICE DPT, JUDICIARY AND POLITICAL PERSONS(LARGELY FOLLOWERS OF MNS, SS, NCP AND CONG) ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT IT,BECAUSE THEY ARE NEVER STOPPED AT TOLL BOOTHS.COMMON MAN AND EVEN ST BUSES ARE HELPLESSLY PAYING.

Vaibhav Dhoka

Toll is biggest tool in hand of governing politicians of day.Election are faught with such money.

SAGAR MEHTA

2 years ago

We are to blame ourselves I guess, we know we are being looted but we law abiding middle class citizens will not take law into their hands. We are not a sizeable vote bank to appease,only to get fooled time & again by these politicians. We will not throw stones or sit on dharna, anymore after what happened to Anna AAP like agitations which gave a lot of hopeto us common ma but fizzled outso fast (for once they were frightened & were made to look like extras) And it is back to business again for all. What can we helpless ciizens do?